Abandoned Dumas camels get shelter in Deesa

TNN | Aug 29, 2020, 04:30 IST

Camels being boarded on to a truck in Surat on Friday

Surat: It was an emotional moment for the volunteers of the Nature Club Surat (NCS) as they bid adieu to the three camels which were rescued in the first week of August after they were abandoned by their owners.
These camels were shifted to panjrapole (animal shelter) in Banaskantha’s Deesa taluka, which would be the final resting abode of the abandoned animals, said Snehal Patel of NCS, an NGO working for environment conservation, relief and rescue of animals.
These camels were used to ferry revellers across the Dumas beach and earn their keepers a decent income. They were seen loitering on city road in search of food and shelter by the volunteers of NCS in the first week of August. Following the distress calls from the residents in Vesu and Pilod, the volunteers rescued the camels and brought them to animal shelter home at Eco Farm in Vesu.
According to Patel, the camels were abandoned by the owners during the lockdown as they had become a burden on them. With Dumas beach closed due to the pandemic, there was no one to ferry and no income for the owners.
The injured camels were given treatment by the veterinary doctors of the NCS. After the recovery, the NCS contacted the office-bearers of the panjrapole in Deesa for shifting the camels. With the consent of the office-bearers, the camels were boarded on to a truck and transported to Dessa on Friday.
Patel told TOI, “We had developed an emotional bond with the camels during their stay here. All three camels were treated and brought to a healthy state. Since the animals are big, it was difficult for us to nourish them in a proper environment. So we decided to shift them to the panjrapole in Deesa.”
Patel added, “There are many panjrapoles in and around Surat, but the one at Deesa is the oldest and biggest. It has more than 10,000 animals and that the environment there is more suitable for the camels to stay healthy in captivity.”
Asked if the camel owners contacted NCS for their custody, Patel said, “Not a single person has turned till date.”